Prairieburg Residents Still Cleaning Up After Tornado, Working to Rebuild Park

PRAIRIEBURG, Iowa -- The cleanup may be finished in Prairieburg, but the Iowa town is still repairing the damage from last month's tornado.

The National Weather Service gave the tornado a preliminary rating of EF2. Much of the damage the town suffered was along its southern neighborhoods, where there were reports of damage to homes, storage buildings, and crops.

The Prairieburg community is now working to rebuild a park damaged from the storm. Baker Community Park was established in 1987 and is the town's only park. The public space is where many of the town's events take place, such as graduation parties and weddings. Not only was the pavilion leveled, the playground was also left in ruins.

"Even now, all the kids will go down there and they just kind of stand around. They used to play there, and now there ain't nothing there," said Joe Nagal, who owns a business near the park.

"I remember helping build the pavilion and pour the cement and do everything around and help with the events every Labor Day weekend," said Jason Russell. "I'd hope that we could at least get it back to its former glory or maybe even a little bit better."

The community hopes to have the park rebuilt in time for Prairieburg's annual Labor Day tractor pull. A GoFundMe page has been started to help pay for repairs.